Frequently Asked Questions

Usually, it may take up to one to two weeks to return to work, depending on the type of procedure that you undergo.

Most of the time the Signs and symptoms of liver cancer do not show up until the later stages, but sometimes the signs and symptoms may show up in the beginning stage. Listed below are the common symptoms of liver cancer of hepatic cancer: You may notice unplanned Weight loss, lack of appetite, nausea or vomiting and a feeling of fullness after having a small meal. Enlarged liver & spleen, pain in the right shoulder blade, abdominal pain and swelling Itching and Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice) People with hepatic cancer may experience fever, enlarged veins on the belly that can be seen through the skin, and abnormal bruising or bleeding. Some signs and symptoms of hepatic cancer include increased blood calcium levels (hypercalcemia), Low blood sugar levels (hypoglycaemia) and high cholesterol levels

There are many factors which affects the liver cancer treatment which includes Certain liver conditions: - Non-alcoholic fatty liver - Liver cirrhosis developed due to Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Diabetes: Poorly managed type 2 diabetes can make fatty liver and could make the liver cancer worse.

Treatment of liver cancer depends upon various factors, it includes the extent of the liver cancer, patients age, health conditions and personal preferences. Surgery: In liver surgery, the liver cancer cells and small portion of healthy liver tissue is removed to promote liver health. Liver transplant surgery: In liver transplant surgery the diseased liver of patient is replaced by whole or partial healthy liver from another person. Heating cancer cells. This is a minimally invasive procedure; the cancerous cells are ablated by using heat generated from medium frequency electric current. Freezing cancer cells: liquid nitrogen is used to freeze the cancer cells with the help of a surgical instrument (cryoprobe) Alcohol injection: In this method alcohol is directly injected to the tumour to treat liver cancer. Injecting Chemotherapy drugs: Injecting chemotherapy drugs directly to the liver is known as chemoembolization, it can be done as stand-alone treatment or in combination with ablation or surgery.

As the name suggests, the organ for transplantation is obtained from a donor who is alive. Live donor or living donor transplant is possible only for Liver, Kidney and Bone Marrow Transplant.

Liver cirrhosis is a slowly progressing disease in which scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue, causing permanent and irreparable damage to the liver. The reasons for liver cirrhosis can be: Hepatitis B or C infection Alcoholic liver diseases Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (fat build-up in the liver cells) Genetic and auto immune disorders Congenital birth defects According to the National Institute of Health, liver cirrhosis is the 12th leading cause of death by disease in India .

Your doctor can diagnose whether you have any alcohol-related disease based on your medical history, physical examination, blood tests and radiological investigations such as Ultrasound or CT scan. If required, you may need to undergo a liver biopsy. This will help your doctor to understand the extent of damage caused to your liver. During the biopsy, a small portion of the liver tissue will be removed with the help of a needle and tested in the laboratory. Remember, it is possible that a patient can suffer from multiple liver problems like Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C infection at the same time.

Kidney transplant is the process of replacing the diseased kidney with a healthy, donated kidney. It is recommended only if the kidneys are so damaged that they cannot be managed medically (Chronic Kidney Disease or End Stage Renal Disease). In some cases, transplant might not be a practical solution if the patient has an active infection or another life-threatening disease such as cancer, severe heart or lung diseases. Fortunately, according to worldwide figures, the success rate of kidney transplant is above 95%. This not only comes as a reassurance for those opting for transplant, but also reaffirms the fact that kidney transplant is indeed an effective mode of treatment.

There are two types of kidney transplants: Live donor Transplant and Cadaver Transplant When a person is transplanted with a kidney from a live donor, it is called Live Donor Transplant. The donor could be anyone - a family member, friend, colleague or even a random person who is generous enough to gift life by donating one of his/ her kidney. Usually, the success rates of kidney transplants in which the donor and recipient belong to one family (parent/ sibling) are higher. This is because of high donor-recipient compatibility, which means the chances of rejection are very low. A live donor makes things easy as the waiting period is lesser and the patient gets well faster. Cadaver transplant is when the kidney is got from a donor who is certified brain-dead. He or she would have would have signed up for donation before death. The kidney is surgically removed after obtaining consent from the deceased’s family and transplanted in the recipient.

With advance in technology, obtaining cells from a donor or harvesting has become relatively simple. Bone marrow is harvested using needle from the hip or at times breastbone area, after inducing general or local anaesthesia. The harvested bone marrow is processed to remove blood and bone fragments, combined with a preservative and frozen at sub-zero temperatures to keep the stem cells alive but dormant until required. This technique is known as cryopreservation. We have a cryopreservation unit where we can cryopreserve stem cells for many years. In order to harvest PBSCs, the donor is given medications to produce and release excess stem cells into the blood stream. Called apheresis, blood is drawn from the donor and subject to a process that removes only the stem cells. The blood is then returned to the donor and the collected cells, stored in the cryopreservation unit. This usually takes 4 to 6 hours. We also obtain stem cells from umbilical cord on consent, to treat children and adults. We can cryopreserve these cells or even the entire cord for years.